In the Pale Moonlight (Farkas x OC)
by aven91
Summary: Chance brings them together, fate keeps them together, but destiny could tear them apart.
1. Chapter 1

Daybreak. The sky was still gray, attempting to find it's normal shade of blue. The first rays of the sun were trying to peek it's way over the mountains in the east. The first of the birds were starting to chirp. A single hawk flew over the city of Whiterun. Jorrvaskr only had two men awake. Brothers in arms, brothers in blood, brothers in bond. Vilkas had awakened his brother for their weekly hunt together. They both got up at the break of dawn and went out for the rest of the day hunting down deer and elk around Whiterun. It had become a tradition for them when they were still learning the ways of the companions many years before. Farkas, unwillingly pulled himself out of his bed sliding into his boots to keep his feet protected from the cold, hard, stoned floors. Farkas moved his head back and forth getting the cricks out. He sat on the edge of his bed for a few moments waiting for his brain to figure out which way was up before he got out of bed.

Farkas changed into simple leather armor for the hunt. His normal heavy armor was too much to haul around trying to sneak up on unwary prey and it still served as protection in case of a Sabre Cat attack. Farkas hated running into those things when they were hunting. They ruined the whole mood of the hunt and made him just want to find the nearest cave or bandit camp and kill everyone and everything in it. Once they had all of their gear together that they needed, they headed out of Jorrvaskr. The city was still mostly asleep. Guards were switching out shifts and people were setting up their booths in the market getting ready to sell their goods to whoever would buy. The night people was making their way out of the Bannered Mare heading for home to sleep off their drunkenness. They made their way to the front gates and headed out into the wild of Skyrim. They had decided along their walk that they were going to go towards the west to hunt this week.

Around midday they stopped to have a little lunch. A strange sound filled the sky. Vilkas and Farkas looked around the surrounding area searching for the source of the noise. They could see mammoths in the distance being herded around by a couple giants, but they knew the sounds they made and that wasn't it. It filled the sky once more. The brothers stood reaching for their bows just in case.

"What is that?" Farkas asked his brother. Vilkas shrugged his shoulders just as confused as his brother. The sound never came again and the brothers relaxed, but not entirely. The sound had made them nervous. Something was going to happen, they just knew it, but for now they pushed their thoughts aside and went on with their hunt. A few hours had passed when they finally got their first kill. The brothers sat there and argued about who got the kill shot. They both had simple iron arrows so they wasn't really sure who hit the deer. Farkas knew it was him because he carefully watched where his arrow was going, but his brother wasn't going to have any part of that. A cold wind blew in from the west causing the brothers to stiffen up. Burned flesh and blood filled their enhanced senses. The brothers exchanged looks.

"That's too strong to be just a Fire Mage." Farkas nodded his head in agreement.

"Dress the deer and make it fast," Farkas said staring to the west. "I'll keep watch just in case." Vilkas nodded kneeling. He pulled out a dagger and started cutting the deer up. Farkas knew something wasn't right. And he knew if he knew something wasn't right, then Vilkas knew something wasn't right. He could feel it in his gut. A little speck appeared in the distance on the road heading their way. They were approaching very quick on a horse. "Vilkas," Farkas said catching his brother's attention. "Maybe they know something." Vilkas followed his brother's eyes to the speck in the distance. Vilkas agreed and they started on their way to the side of the road to flag down whoever was on the horse. They didn't even have to flag them down the person stopped right in front of them.

It was a woman on the horse's back. She was a Nord with dark black hair that brushed the bottom of her shoulder blades. It was dirty and matted to her. Fear and sweat drenched her body. She was wearing bloody Imperial Armor with a Long Bow fitted on her back and a small sword strapped to her side. Her pale eyes showed nothing but fear. The horse she rode shifted nervously under her. Its eyes were wild with fear. Where ever they had come from, they had seen something fierce.

"Is this Whiterun?" she asked jerking back on the reins as the horse jerked forward.

"Yes, what has happened?" Vilkas asked her.

"Helgen is destroyed. A dragon attacked it." Farkas and his brother exchanged looks.

"A dragon?"

"Don't believe me if you want, but yes, a dragon." A roar filled the sky similar to the sound the Farkas and Vilkas had heard before. The woman jerked looking behind them. Just above the mountains, a dragon flew heading straight towards the watchtower near Whiterun. Fear stung Farkas and Vilkas like nothing they had never felt before. "Get back to your home!" she yelled kicking the sides of the horse as hard as she could. The horse didn't need anymore motivation than that. She took off in a blast of speed and headed for Whiterun not even bothering to stay on the road anymore. Farkas and Vilkas soon followed suit as their bodies suddenly remembered how to move. They didn't stop running until they got back to Jorrvaskr. They tried telling their fellow companions about the dragon they had saw, but no one believed them. Dragon were only in stories to scare children of Skyrim. They had once existed, but were wiped out many, many years before.

Dragons really couldn't be coming back. Could they?


	2. Chapter 2

Cleo, the Nordic woman rode as hard as she could towards the front gates of Whiterun. She could still smell the burned flesh of the people now dead within Helgen. Or maybe it was her own flesh. Most of the blood that covered her wasn't hers. She had stolen this armor off a dead Imperial inside the tower after the dragon had attacked. In all the confusion, she had ended escaping with one of the captured Stormcloaks. She wasn't sure how it happened, but who would know anything that happened within those walls?

She rode her horse all the way to the stables and handed the reins off to the stable boy and took off running up the hill to get to the front gates into Whiterun, but they were closed.

"Let me in," she demanded. "I need to see the Jarl of this hold." The guards laughed at her.

"We are not allowed to let anyone in unless it official business," he stated crossing his arms. Rolling her eyes, she crossed her arms right back at him. How could it not be official business if she was wanting to go straight to the Jarl? Sometimes she thought the guards were mentally challenged somehow. Sighing, she shook her head.

"If you don't let me in, you'll regret it," Cleo threatened brushing her fingertips across the hilt of her sword. The two guards exchanged looks. She wasn't sure what their reactions were because the helmets covered their entire face. How they could possibly stand to wear those things day in and day out was beyond her.

"Look, woman," he said pointing behind her. She wasn't going to fall for that. He was probably going to kick her in the ass right off the front steps of Whiterun. She needed in those gates and she needed in now. She couldn't be wasting all her time just sitting there while innocent people lost their lives to a not-so-much mythical creature. "Seriously, look." He urged her to look by moving his finger around. She finally gave in looking behind her. Above her, in a watch tower, sat an archer. She followed around the tops of the walls to each of the towers holding at least one archer in each. "You're outnumbered here. You don't scare me. You may kill me, but I know you wouldn't make it out of here alive. Go ahead and threaten all you want."

He was right. She silently wondered why there were so many archers posted out on this night. Maybe the Jarl aleady knew of the dragon. Word somehow traveled fast across the lands. But she was sure he didn't know that there was a dragon headed right for Riverwood just a ways southwest of Whiterun. Riverwood was apart of Whiterun and under the Jarl's protection. He couldn't ignore the fact that his people were being killed by something they didn't stand a chance against. She would have to resort to telling the truth.

"A dragon is heading for Riverwood. They are defenseless. I need to speak to the Jarl about sending more troops out there to protect them." The guards quickly shifted looks between each other and nodded.

"Get to the Jarl immediately " the guard said without hesitation while signaling for the gate to be opened. She stood patiently as the gate was unlocked. She rushed in running for Dragonsreach. The structure was even more magnificent up close. She had seen it from a distance, but it was so much more up close. She walked as quickly as she could not wanting to alarm any of the civilians within the walls. They probably had enough of their minds right now. If they heard there was a dragon so close to their home, they would panic.

There was light and cheerful banter all around her and it almsot made her relax. Children ran through the streets playing tag. Vendors sold their goods in stalls. Someone chopped wood for fires. It was such a homey feeling that Cleo nearly forgot why she had come here. She didn't want these people to suffer the same fate as those poor people in Helgen.

Picking up her pace again, she walked to the far end of Whiterun where she assumed was the market district of the hold. There were stone steps leading up to the next section of the hold. As she walked up them, hearing the water flowing beside her, she felt that she could get really used to staying here. It was so relaxing. And since it was in the middle of Skyrim, there was no place to far. Location, location, location, she thought.

By the time she had gotten to the top of the stairs, her breath was taken away by the sight in front of her. There was an island surrounded by a mote with running water that ran down the stairs she had just climbed. In the middle stood a magnificent tree. Even though it was dead, it was beautiful. Seeing Dragonsreach dead in front of her, she started walking to the stairs leading up to it, but she stopped short when something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. Looking up, she saw a building that appeared to be some sort of inn or bar or something, but over top of it, an eagle carved out of the very stone in which Whiterun was built on loomed over it. The craftsmanship was fantastic. She had made it a promise to travel up there and see it up close. Just to see what was up there. Who knows? Maybe she would be pleasantly surprised.

She climbed the steps leading up to Dragonsreach determined to save the people of Riverwood. They had been as much help as anyone could be. They had given her food for the trip and someone had even let her borrow their horse so she could get there faster to warn the Jarl of the danger. Under the circumstance that she was returned as the earliest convienance. Cleo wasn't even sure that she would make it to Whiterun alive with a dragon flying around. She had seen them too much already. Her heart pounded as she finally had reached the doors of Dragonsreach. She wasn't sure what the Jarl was like. She imagined him to be a giant of a man ruling with an iron fist ready to punish anyone at the fist sign of disobiediance. She really hoped that this wasn't the case. She was techically a criminal after all. She put her hands on the doors and pushed them open with all her might.


	3. Chapter 3

Cleo darted out of the front gates of Whiterun with Irileth and a half dozen other guards in tow behind her. The Jarl knew that this dragon would need to be taken care of before more innocent people died. But he was relying on Cleo to help out with the dragon. She wasn't sure how much use she would be, he had told her that she had more experience with dragons just because she was at Helgen. Cleo didn't see where this had qualified her as a dragon slayer, but she supposed she had to do something because if not her, then who would step up?

They stopped once they were about a hundred yards away from the tower. No one could be seen standing anywhere around it or on top of it. Cleo narrowed her eyes. She wondered if this were the same dragon that she had seen earlier at Helgen. She didn't manage a good look at it for sheer fear coursing through her. Cleo looked down at her body. She still wore the bloody Imperial Armor with the Imperial gear. She had told the Jarl the dragon had attacked when she was getting ready to get her head chopped off, but he didn't seem to mind all that all the sudden when the subject of dragons came up.

She flexed her hands a couple times getting the gauntlets to break in a little more. She had reminded herself to get some money so she could get new armor that was made for her. This was made for an Imperial man twice her size. It fit very loosely on her and it seemed to be chaffing her in places she really didn't want to be chaffed. She had very little gold from where she had escaped Helgen. In all the panic she really didn't have enough time to loot the bodies of fallen soldiers as she fled. But it would be enough money to buy herself some clothes and room and board until she got enough money to buy some more armor and weaponry so she could be on her merry little way once again wondering the lands of Tamriel.

She had traveled from place to place for quite some time now, she wasn't sure why, but once she was old enough, the road had just called to her. She had traveled from Skyrim, down into Cyrodill then went from there. She had traveled to nearly all lands in Tameriel and had learned quite a bit on her travels from the different places. But when she had finally decided to come back home, as soon as she crossed from Cyrodill over into Skyrim, she was ambushed by the Imperial scum and was considered a Stormcloak, whatever that was. She had tried to get them to listen, but her being a Nord, not to mention a woman, she was a traitor against the emperor and such and was sentenced to death. She gingerly touched the knot on the back of her head where they had knocked her out as she took a deep breath of the sweet Skyrim air.

Cleo was too lost in thought and was suddenly moving on her own towards the tower. Everyone's eyes were trained on the sky. A couple of soldiers met us at the front opening of the tower. They were panicking. They said they had tried to escape, but the dragon swooped down and would grab them. A sudden feeling washed over Cleo. If anyone asked her today, she still wouldn't be able to tell anyone what it felt like. Her vision seemed to blur for a split second, her insides seemed to tremble though everything on the outside stayed the same. Her head went numb, and her stomach fell. And if anyone asked her why she said what she said next she would just have to say instinct. Reaching for her sword she whispered, "Get ready."

All eyes were on her for a split second then back towards the skies as a roar echoed throughout the valley. A dragon was coming from the mountains heading straight for them. Cleo stared at it in awe as it approached. She had heard stories in Morrowind of the dragon, but had never had a chance to see it because it had been slain many years before. She had always wanted to see a dragon since she was a child as her parents told her stories of them back when the Dragon Wars were going on. They had told her that one of her ancestors was a very important man in those wars, but they would say no more.

Everyone was soon shooting arrows at the beast as it circled overhead waiting for the right time to land. Cleo knew it was moving too fast to be shoot at it with arrows and would have to wait for it too land. She would just be wasting her arrows if she started shooting at it now. Once the dragon had landed, she charged for it. Dodging its wing, she tried swinging her sword to cripple it from flying away from them, but it had moved its foot and knocked her off her feet. She was back up in an instant going for its wing again.

She stabbed her sword in right where the wing connected into its body making the dragon scream out in pain. It wrapped its tail around her waist and flung her away from it. She landed on her back about twenty feet away. The breath was knocked from her lungs. She was pulled up by a soldier.

"Are you alright?" he asked. She nodded then shook her head back and forth a couple times trying to shake the stars out of her field of vision. She drew her bow, then notched an arrow. She aimed at the dragons face, then let it fly. Most of the arrows were bouncing off its thick skin. She knew someone would have to be close in order to take it down. Finding a dead soldier, she grabbed his sword and went for the dragon again. Standing face to face with the mighty beast excited her. She hadn't felt so alive ever before in her life.

The dragon snapped at her, but she moved out of the way before its teeth could clamp down her on her. She smacked the side of its face with her sword. It swept its head trying to knock her over, but she fell to the ground letting its head move over top of her without hurting her. She stood back up cutting at its throat. She jumped out of the way just as it sprayed fire at her. She could feel the scorching heat off it. She remembered as it was in Helgen. Fireballs rained down from the sky. She wasn't sure how that was possible, but the very heat of them was enough to cook anyone alive just by standing next to it for a short period of time.

Seeing her chance as the dragon became distracted with the rest of the soldiers, she took off toward it again. She grabbed hold of its horn then jumped on its neck. She balanced herself between its two horns. She held up the sword and stabbed it straight down through its brain. The dragon reared its head back standing on its back two legs. Cleo screamed hanging onto its horns with all her might. She could hear the whistle of arrows as everyone was aiming for its belly. She had wondered if the stories were true about a dragon's underbelly being its weak point.

The dragon fell forward and Cleo flew over its head landing right in front of it. Everyone stood around the dragon as its body seemed to start to burn. A bright light came from its body and shot towards Cleo. As soon as it hit her, voices in a different dialect whispered in her head. Wind seemed to be passing by her ears. Then suddenly, she could understand what one word was saying. When it finally stopped, she collapsed on the ground. She wasn't sure why, but she felt very weak all of the sudden. Everyone stared at her. She had heard of a legend in Skyrim. A legend that was more of a myth anymore than anything. She, somewhat, understood this.

One of the soldiers knelt down beside her.

"You just absorbed that dragon's soul," he whispered. "Do you know what this means? You're Dragonborn." All the Nord soldiers whispered the word "Dragonborn". She didn't want to admit it, but she knew this had to be true. All those stories her mother and father had told her in her childhood were true. She wondered if they knew it was going to be her. She took a deep, shaky breath. Irileth, being a Dark Elf, didn't understand this because she was not accustomed to our culture just yet. Though she was the Jarl's Housecarl, she still had a lot to learn about the land of Skyrim.

"If you are a Dragonborn, then you can shout like the dragons," the soldier continued. Cleo was helped to her feet slowly by the soldier. "Go ahead, try to shout. Don't worry about hitting us, I'm sure we can take it."

"What if it makes you explode?" she wondered out loud. The soldier thought about this possibility.

"On second thought, you better look out that way away from us." Cleo nodded turning her back on them. She focused on the word that she heard within her head. She knew how to say it and she knew what it meant, but she wasn't sure what it was going to do. She took another deep shaky breath then let the word come out.

She flew backwards from the sheer force of it. She tripped over a rock and landed on her back. She felt all the blood leave her face. Her stomach tossed and turned. She rolled over emptying what little contents of her stomach she had left. The soldiers sat there with her as she dry heaved trying to let something, anything come up, but nothing would. As each second passed, she felt weaker and weaker until her body finally told her it was enough and she passed out on the ground.


	4. Chapter 4

Vilkas and Farkas sat within the confines of Jorvaskarr after giving up on trying to convince everyone they had seen a dragon outside of Whiterun. They decided to shut up about it and have some mead since there was really nothing better to do. They had no jobs. They already went hunting only to have it ruined by the dragon. At least they had managed to get one kill in that day, but they couldn't enjoy the thrill for too long.

Farkas couldn't stop thinking about that woman. Who was she? He had been all over Skyrim more than once and had never seen her before. She looked like she was apart of the Imperial Army, but that armor didn't fit her too good so it was possible that she had come across it on a dead soldier. His curiosity flared as he stood from the main dining table in Jorvaskarr. He grabbed his ale and decided he was going to go sit on the front stairs. He made his way outside and sat down on the front stairs and just watched everyone walking around. He listened to the monk preaching about Talos. He watched the guard that patrolled in circles around the Eldergreen that had been dead for ages. He watched people come and go from Dragonsreach peasant and soldier alike.

There was a whisper that seemed to flow through the city and soon word reached his ears that a dragon had been slain outside the city walls. Relief went through him at this knowledge. He had faced many things in his life, but a dragon was a whole new story. He wasn't sure how he would fare against a dragon even on his best day. He saw a small crowd gather around the stairs leading down into market square and he traveled down to see what was going on. When his foot touched the bottom step, a loud smack nearly knocked him off his feet. He heard a voice that wasn't any language he recognized. He tried to listen, but he couldn't make anything out. Then he heard one word. One word and he knew exactly what was going on.

Dovahkin.

The Greybeards were calling upon the Dovahkin. The Dragonborn. The end times were upon them. Everyone was in an uproar by the time he made his way to the top of the steps. As he reached them, he saw that the woman he had seen before was being carried up the steps. Everyone parted letting them through. Her eyes were dull. She seemed almost lifeless. They carried her into the Temple of Kynereth to be healed. He walked over to the doors waiting for one of the guards to come out. When one did, he stopped him and asked him what was going on.

"That woman in there." He paused trying to find the right words to say. "She's the Dragonborn. She absorbed that dragon's soul. I've never seen anything like it." Farkas wasn't sure what to make of this. He knew the ledgend, but knew it was nothing more than that. He knew the dragons couldn't be coming back to bring forth the end times, but he couldn't deny that he had seen one earlier that day. He faught the urge to go in and see the woman to see if she could enlighten him. Maybe they were hallucinating. Maybe someone had slipped them Skooma at some point. He had never been on Skooma before so he wasn't sure how people reacted on it.

He walked through Whiterun suddenly feeling very restless. Part of him wanted to go hunt down one of these dragons and slay it as a test of his strength, but he knew it would take a lot more than just one man to bring that down. He wans't sure how the Dovahkiin was going to do it by their self, especially since the Dovahkiin was in fact a woman. It was a simple fact that men were stronger than women. He knew he was a strong man and knew he wouldn't be able to take down a dragon by himself. How would a woman be able to?

An interesting scent filled his airways and he turned around. He seen the same woman that was being carried into the healers walking towards the front gates of Whiterun. She looked a lot paler than usual as she walked. She had changed out of her armor and was carrying it in her hands. Lydia was following behind her slowly making sure she wasn't going to fall over. Farkas couldn't make heads or tails of this because he knew Lydia was a Housecarl. She wouldn't be following this woman unless this new woman had become a Thane in Whiterun Hold.

The woman walked to the blacksmith at Warmaidens and handed the armor over to her.

"Make this fit," she demanded. The woman nodded and started taking measures of her so she could take some leather off the armor. After some trading was done, she had managed to pay for it all. After that, the woman walked into the Bannered Mare and that was the last that Farkas ever saw of her.

Word spread throughout the Hold that dragons had in fact returned and there was an appointed Dragonborn, a Nord woman that was very powerful. No one knew much of her as she kept to herself. Some said they had traded with her and talked to her for a while, but it was just her trying to find out information on a dragon sighting. On occasion, Farkas would hear the roar of a dragon in the far distance and wondered if it was in battle with the new Dragonborn and wondered if she was okay. This world rested on her shoulders. She was going to stop the end times by herself. It was all up to her.


	5. Chapter 5

Farkas was pulled out of sleep by a screech that couldn't be anything other than a dragon. He jumped out of bed and quickly dressed in his armor and grabbed his sword running out of Jorvasskar. There was a heavy rain plummeting down upon Whiterun in waves. He could see smoke rising from parts of Whiterun, but couldn't see anything of the dragon. Part of him hoped that the dragon had gotten bored and left.

The monster swooped overhead breathing fire on some houses the swooped away back into the air. It circled a couple times before it landed right in the middle of the market square. By this time everyone was out of Jorvasskar ready to take on this creature. None of them had ever taken on a dragon before and none of them had no idea where its weak points were. This was going to be difficult enough when it had the advantage of flight. This was going to be the hardest thing they had ever faced before, but they were ready to fight for their home. They were ready to die.

The ones with bows were shooting at it, keeping a good distance away. Some of the guards had already been eaten while others had their necks broken by its tail. Farkas couldn't believe his eyes when one guard was even decapitated by its claws. Another was launched into the air by its horns.

The Compainions moved in as a group surrounding the dragon all attacking it in turn at different angles. But it still was kncoking them back like it was nothing. Farkas knew this was going to be hard, but not this hard.

"FOS DU RAH!" The sound itself was enough to knock Farkas off his feet, but the force threw multiple people across the square. All eyes were on the area where that came from. Towards the front gate. A woman in Orcish armor was walking towards the dragon as if it didn't even scare. Farkas knew that could only be one person. There could only be one person that wasn't afraid of any dragon.

"Dragonborn." The words fell across his lips in a whisper that he could hardly hear. Admiration filled his gut. Only the Dragonborn could appear to be that powerful just by walking down the street. The dragon, by this time, had turned around to face the Dragonborn.

"Dovahkiin," the dragon growled.

"Dovah," the Dragonborn growled back. The dragon reared its head back getting ready to release its fire on her and when it did, she disappeared with another shout. The fire blasted in a single spot rolling out, but not touching any buildings. The Dragonborn appeared on its back and she drew a Elven Greatsword turning the blade down just behind the dragon's head. She plunged the sword down into the dragon's brain. It roared in agony throwing its head back and forth throwing the Dragonborn off its head.

She landed on her back on the steps leading up to the Eldergreen and slid down next to a guard who helped her up. She stood as quickly as possible and took out her Orcish bow loading an Elven arrow into it. She aimed it as carefully as possible towards the dragon. When she released the arrow, the dragon blew fire at her covering her in a shroud of fire.

The arrow flew right into its mouth lodging itself into its brain just as the sword had done. The dragon let out an ear shattering cry and fell forward as its skin started burning. Its whole body went up in ash leaving only its bones behind as its soul became apart of the Dragonborn. Everyone ran to the Dragonborn who was on her back now. Everyone gathered around her.

"Is she dead?" Farkas asked. Everyone just shrugged. Farkas nudged her with his foot and her eyes shot open and a scream left her lips nearly giving everyone around her a heart attack. She rolled over into the water where steam came up from the water around her.

She sighed in relief leaning back comfortably.

"Cleo! Is she alright?" Lydia yelled pushing through the crowd that had gathered around the sight of the Dragonborn. She hadn't even paid them no mind. "What the hell were you thinking leaving me behind like that to face the dragon alone? You could have been killed!"

"Oh stop bickering at me like I'm a child, Lydia. I can handle myself against any dragon."

"And look at you bathing in front of the entire city." Cleo finally took in all the people around her. She stretched her arms out wide then sat up out of the water.

"Hello people of Whiterun. The dragon was a inconvineince to us all and we will begin rebuilding what it destroyed tomorrow. But for now, I crave mead and food! Come Lydia, let me buy you a drink."

"For the one who saved our city, free drinks and food," said the owner of the Bannered Mare. The Dragonborn nodded as she was being helped up by Lydia. Cleo put her arm over Lydia's shoulder. Lydia glared at her.

"Of all the Thanes, it had to be you." Cleo smiled at her.

"Aye, but you have to admit, it's an adventurous life." Lydia rolled her eyes pushing her Thane's arm off her shoulder.


	6. Chapter 6

Cleo barely made it through her first tankard of ale before she fell asleep at the table. She could hear everyone around her still celebrating her for saving Whiterun. She was going to stay and help rebuild after the attack. It wasn't her duty, but at the same time, she wanted to help. She felt responsible for what happened because she didn't get to the dragon on time. She would probably be here for a couple weeks as the town was rebuilt.

The next morning, she sat out to make a couple extra dollars with things that she needed to be sold off. She went into a couple different places and sold off potions, furs and weapons. She bought little things that she needed for her and Lydia like health potions and cure disease potions. She had gotten Ataxia once in Cyrodil and she thought she was going to kill over right in the middle of the forest. She had lucked out here in Skyrim by always making sure she had cure disease potions on her.

She walked through the streets of Whiterun assessing the situation of each damaged building. There was even part of a wall that was knocked down when the dragon landed in the middle of town that was going to need a good fix before she left. She was going to go out with a couple people and horses and collect rock and lumber, but she needed to find someone willing to go with her. Everyone was terrified that they were going to run into a dragon and rarely left anywhere anymore.

She stopped when she reached the empty house next to Warmaidens. She really wanted to buy that place. It was going to be hers. She decided to make her way up to Dragonsreach to talk to the Steward about the place. It had been so long since she had a place to call her own that it was killing her. Lydia came out of the Bannered Mare raking her fingers through her air trying to brush it out. She saw the Dragonborn walking towards her from Breezehome.

They walked together up the many steps up to Dragonsreach passing a couple guards who nodded their head towards them. Cleo nodded her head back politely. They finally made it to the top of the stairs and walked the short distance to the front doors leading into the main hall. She pushed the door open and stepped in as quietly as possible since the hall was so large the slightest noise seemed to be an explosion.

People were sitting at the tables eating food that just kept coming. And the Jarl, Housecarl, and Steward were sat on the thrones at the end of the hall. Cleo and Lydia made their way to them. Cleo bowed her head to the Jarl who bowed his back in acknowledgment of her presence.

"Is everything alright in Whiterun, Dragonborn?" the Jarl asked. Cleo nodded to him.

"I'm here on another matter, Jarl. I would like to know if the offer of a home here still stands."

"Indeed it does. Did you want to know about Breezehome?"

"Yes." The Jarl waved his hand towards the Steward who stood. The Steward told her everything she needed to know about the home. She knew she wanted the home, but once he was finished, she knew she needed the home. She looked to Lydia and nodded.

"We must go count my gold to see if we have enough. If we don't, is there any kind of work we could do so we can eventually afford it?" Cleo asked.

"There are a few bounties that need to be taken care of and we'll be sure to hold them for you, Dragonborn. It would be an honor and a privilege to have you living within our walls." Cleo nodded her head and turned to leave. She walked back down through Whiterun making her way back to the Bannered Mare.

After a couple hours of counting gold, Cleo discovered she was only 1500 gold away from owning Breezehome. She was very upset to know this. She knew she needed more than just 5000 gold to furnish it, but she just wanted to be able to say she owned a home. But first things first, she needed to start getting supplies for the people in Whiterun so they could start to rebuild. She needed to go to Riverwood so she could get wood for the people's homes that were destroyed. She couldn't go with just her and Lydia; they needed more protection than that from bandits, creatures and dragons. She wanted at least one other person to go with them so they could be safer.

And she knew exactly where she needed to go.

She walked down to the Companions and stepped inside. She was met by another Nord a couple years older than her. He was a true Nord and reeked of honor and discipline.

"Hello, Dragonborn and welcome to Jorvaskarr. My name is Vilkas. Is there anything I can help you with?" Cleo took a quick glance around the room. There were people sitting around the table drinking and eating.

"I need some help with protection. My Housecarl and I are going to be making a quick trip to Riverwood to get some lumber to rebuild the places that were destroyed in the dragon attack. I need just one more person willing to go with us to help out with whatever we need help with."

"What's it paying?"

"I'm afraid not very much, but if we run into any bandits or animals or dragons, after we sell off everything we don't need, we'll share half the gold."

"Sounds good enough for me," another man said from across the room. He stepped forward letting the fire illuminate his face. He looked similar to Vilkas. They could have been brothers. Twins even. Easily. Cleo noted that he was quite handsome. He had black war paint all over his eyes. His armor looked like it had just been polished. He carried a long sword on his back. He had big powerful arms that looked like they could crush anything.

"Farkas, this is the Dragonborn," Vilkas introduced.

"My name is Cleo. Please, call me Cleo."

"Very well, when do we leave?" Farkas asked crossing his arms.

"Immediately. Gather your things." Cleo heard Lydia sigh behind her. Cleo looked back at her as Lydia stepped closer to her Thane.

"We have more important matters to attend to, my Thane."

"I know this, Lydia, but these people need our help. We weren't able to get to the dragon in time to save Whiterun so now we have to help them rebuild."

"This isn't your fault."

"But it is my duty." She knew Lydia was just looking out for the best interests of Cleo and her quest to stop the dragons, but Cleo also knew that she needed to help as many people along the way as she possibly could since it was possibly her fault that all this was happening. She just couldn't shake that feeling. It was up to her to stop this chaos so every time something bad happened, it was her fault because she wasn't there to stop it. It had been too many times she had come across dead travelers burnt to a crisp by what is possibly from a dragon.

She left Jorvaskarr with Lydia to go gather their things.


	7. Chapter 7

Cleo and Lydia waited by the stables waiting for Farkas to arrive. Their horses were already saddled and were restless. They had rested enough and were more than ready to carry their riders anywhere they wanted to go. Cleo sat on the cobblestone wall picking at some dirt underneath her nail with a dagger that she kept in her boot just in case of an emergency. Even if it was a personal hygiene emergency.

They weren't sure if Farkas had his own horse or not so they had convinced the man working the stables to let them rent a horse until they had gotten back. It didn't take that long to convince him once he found out it was the Dragonborn renting a horse for someone in the Companions. Whenever the Companions were involved with anything in Whiterun, they were sure to comply without fuss. The Companions were a much respected bunch in all of Skyrim.

Farkas had met them at the Bannered Mare and said he would be a little late because he couldn't find some things he wanted to take with him. Cleo wasn't sure what could possibly be so important, but she was willing to wait since he was so quick in agreeing to come.

"Where can he be? This is taking too long. We could've been half way to Riverwood by now," Lydia complained taking a drink from her sheepskin canteen. Cleo rolled her eyes. Lydia was a very impatient woman with an attitude to boot. She really got on Cleo's nerves at times, but there had been multiple times when she had saved Cleo's ass and Cleo appreciated her. She did her job very well.

Cleo heard the call for the gates to be opened and she stood knowing it had to be Farkas. She wasn't sure what kind of man Farkas was, but he had to be a good man for him to come so highly recommended by everyone in Whiterun. People had overheard others talking about how their very own Companions were accompanying the Dragonborn so she was approached by multiple people with questions of the truth. They told her Farkas wasn't the brightest apple in the tree, but he was the hardiest. Cleo was even more grateful of him more so now than ever.

She saw as Farkas walked down the path to the stables. When he got to them he looked over at the stables. The horses' ears were perked and their heads were raised staring at him as he approached. The closer he got, the more uneasy they became. Cleo noticed this and placed a gentle hand on the side of her horse's neck, but it didn't help. Cleo stepped forward to meet him in the middle so the horses didn't go crazy. Even the ones in their stalls were worried.

"Do you have a horse?" Farkas shook his head. "We shall provide one for you."

"I'd rather walk. Horses and I have an unspoken agreement of utter hatred." Cleo grinned. She could understand. It was the same way between her and dragons.

"Very well." She turned to the stable boy. "Stable our horses. We're going to walk." Lydia stared at her Thane in disbelief. Cleo turned to face her. "I will not ride if one must walk. You know this." Lydia rolled her eyes crossing her arms.

"Then maybe he shouldn't come. We can get there much faster with horses."

"And if you were Thane and I your Housecarl he would be staying, but this is not the case or an issue. Understood?" Lydia glared at her Thane and nodded. Cleo then turned to Farkas. "Understood?" Farkas grinned at Cleo making Cleo grin back. She wasn't sure why, but when he smiled, she had to smile.

Cleo started off down the road towards Riverwood with Farkas and Lydia following behind.

They walked mostly in silence as most of Cleo's and Lydia's travels were. The sun was warm on Cleo's exposed skin, but it didn't last long when the chilled winds came from the tops of the mountains. Cleo could see the Giants and Mammoths in the distance walking around their big fires. They could be quite a nuisance if they were closer.

"Step lively. We should reach Riverwood by nightfall. We'll stay the night then we'll head back in the morning."

Lydia let out a very loud sigh. Cleo looked back at her.

"Oh come on, Lydia. We need a little break from tracking dragons down all over Skyrim. Besides, I'd figure you'd be happy to be home."

"Whiterun is my home, not Riverwood," she grumbled. Cleo rolled her eyes. She turned her attention on Farkas. "Have you always been in Whiterun?"

"Most of my life."

"Do you like it there?"

"Why?" he asked catching up to her to where they were walking side by side.

"I'm planning on settling in somewhere. Whiterun seems to be the perfect place." Lydia looked to her. "Besides, I wouldn't feel right pulling Lydia away her homestead."

"Thank you, My Thane." Cleo smiled at Lydia. Farkas crossed his arms looking to the Dragonborn. He couldn't imagine the Dragonborn living in the city of Whiterun. Why would she choose such a place? Why not Solitude or Winterhold? Whiterun was just a village compared to those places.

Farkas stopped at the same time as Cleo. They weren't sure what they heard, or if it was even dangerous but it still something they weren't expecting. When Lydia noticed what they were doing, she reached for her sword and raised her shield.

"What is it?" Lydia whispered stepping closer to Cleo.

"Let's find out." Cleo took a deep breath getting ready to use one of her Shouts. Farkas recalled the Shout she used on the dragon back in Whiterun and braced himself for whatever it was.

Cleo let it loose and Farkas was baffled. He could barely hear it. It came out in such a low whisper, but it still felt like it hurt his ears.

Cleo started looking around wondering where that sound came from. When she turned her head toward Farkas, he nearly screamed. Her eyes looked just like a dragon's eyes only they were blood red.

"What is that?" Farkas asked.

"This Shout allows me to see anything with a heartbeat for several hundred strides. There are some bandits up ahead waiting to ambush us if I didn't know any better." Lydia went to draw her sword, but Cleo stopped her. "We'll allow them to think they have the element of surprise so we'll have the element of surprise." Lydia took her hand from her sword.

"Where are they exactly?"

"I think they're hiding behind trees, or rocks maybe."

"That's very descriptive," Lydia stated sarcastically. Cleo shrugged her shoulders.

"It's better than nothing," Farkas said in her defense. They walked on with their guard up awaiting the attack. A few hundred feet more, they heard a woman scream, "NOW!" and everything plunged into chaos.

People seemed to just be appearing out of nowhere, swords swinging, bows at the ready.

"Lydia! Go for the archers!" Lydia pulled out her bow and drew it back an arrow and let it fly towards a Bandit that was standing away from the rest of the fight. She hit him in the chest and died before he fell.

Cleo pulled out her sword standing next to Farkas.

"I'll take the right, you take the left," Farkas said already charging his side. Cleo was right behind him. She blocked the first bandit with her shield and stabbed the second in the stomach with her sword. She put her foot on his chest to dislodge her sword from his ribcage. Cleo then spun forcing her sword halfway through the first bandit's neck. She pulled it out, blood splattering all over her face.

Three more bandits ran straight towards her, swords above their heads.

"That's not very fair!" Cleo yelled. She stood with her feet planted firmly on the ground. She could hear the words in her head. Feel them in her belly scratching to get out. She took the breath and let the Shout flow. The three bandits flew backwards, landing on their backs. Cleo rushed over to the closest one, pulling a simple iron dagger and stabbed it into his neck. She quickly ran to the second one stabbing her sword right through her fur armor.

She looked to the last noting he was trying to recover. She looked back at Lydia to see that one of the bandits were sneaking up on her to kill her from behind. She pulled out her bow quickly readying an arrow and aiming. She let the arrow fly and it hit the bandit in the back of the head.

She heard someone scream behind her and tried to turn to defend herself, but he was already on top of her. She closed her eyes tightly not wanting it to see it happen, but it never came. She slowly opened her eyes and the bandit had a sword sticking through his chest from behind. She looked behind him and saw Farkas standing there. He had just saved her life.

They regrouped after everyone was dead and sat down in the middle of the slaughter to catch their breath.


End file.
